1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to systems and methods for customizing error reporting and technical support for computing products such as hardware and software products.
2. Background of the Invention
In today's world of technology solutions, the need to assemble systems quickly and produce cohesive products within a short time frame is ever increasing. Such products often need to be designed to satisfy a wide variety of different customers at varying price points and with different technical requirements. For example, some customers may require a comprehensive version of a product with an extensive set of features while other customers may require a simpler version of the same product with a less extensive set of features. A more comprehensive version of the product will generally be priced higher than the simpler version.
Customers may also vary greatly in their need for technical assistance to support the operation of such computing products. Some customers, for example, may not employ technical support personnel and thus may require significant technical assistance from the vendor or a third party. Other customers may maintain a technical support staff to handle problems internally. Because of the diverse needs of different customers, providing the right mix of service and support can be a significant challenge.
In today's marketplace, the competitive pricing of warranty and service contracts is a major focus for computing products. Such warranty and service contracts can have a significant impact on sales and the ability to effectively market a product. Nevertheless, current warranty and service contracts are frequently designed in an inflexible manner. Many offer an “all-or-nothing” or limited set of options that are insufficient for a diverse set of customers with different needs.
In view of the foregoing, what are needed are systems and method to more effectively tailor warranties and service contracts for different types of customers. For example, it would be an advance in the art to more effectively customize technical support to meet the needs of different customers. It would be a further advance to more effectively customize the error reporting capabilities of a computing device to correspond to different levels of technical support.